20101018 Chopin Poet of the Piano (1)

Chopin: Poet of the Piano 鋼琴詩人蕭邦

This Polish composer's beautiful piano music plays to the heart

On a winter night in 1810, a boy with exceptional talent was born in a village in Poland. Son of a French father and Polish mother, Frédéric François Chopin (1810-1849) would end up writing expressive piano music that still moves audiences today.

The youth in Poland

Chopin began studying the piano at home when he was 5. His prodigious talent quickly became obvious. Before he was 10, Chopin was composing music and performing in public. He published his first composition at the age of 7.

At 11, he performed his own music for Alexander I, the tsar of Russia. The pleased tsar gave Chopin a diamond ring. Chopin benefited from studying under teachers that encouraged his original style and didn't push him to follow traditional conventions. Chopin's teachers emphasized classical composers such as Beethoven and Mozart without neglecting to introduce Chopin to contemporary romantic composers. By age 20, Chopin had already composed many piano pieces, including Polish folk dance called polonaises and mazurkas. In 1830, Chopin embarked on a music tour that eventually took him to Paris.

prodigious adj. 非凡的/驚人的

=> similar to exceptional, extremely great

eg: The little boy has a prodigious memory of numbers.

=> 這個小男孩對數字有驚人的記憶力。

eg: The editor's prodigious taste in fashion always comes through on the pages of his magazine.

=> 這位編輯非凡的時尚品味總是透過雜誌的每一頁表现出来。

compose v. 作曲

composition n. 作曲/作文

=> a piece of compose of musice

eg: This serenade is one of his earliest compositions.

=> 這首小夜曲是他最早期的作品之一。

eg: She went to Austria to study music composition.

=> 她到奥地利去學作曲。

composer n. 作曲家

convention n. 傳統的手法或技巧

=> the common ways that things are be done

eg: The architect broke with convention and designed a one-of-a-kind building.

=> 這位建築師突破了傳統，設計出了獨一無二的建築。

convention n. 慣例/習俗

eg: In Chinese culture, convention states that during meals the host sits facing the door.

=> 中國的習俗裡面註明，吃飯的時候主人是坐在面對門口的位置上。

exceptional adj. 优异的,杰出的

=> remarkable/extraordinary

tsar n. 沙皇

neglect v. 忽視/忽略

contemporary (adj) 当代的,同时期的

=> live around the same time as another person

romantic adj. 浪漫的/浪漫主義的

//== Chat room ==//

a boy with exceptional talent was born in a village in Poland，

talent n. 才能/天才

have talent as + 某種職業的人 某人在某個領域擁有某方面的才能

eg: Ashley has talent as a singer

=> 要是做歌手，Ashley很有才華

eg: He has talent as a writer

=> 身為作家他很有才華

另外一种表达方式是

have a talent for + 某一種工作(動名詞/名詞)

eg: He has a talent for writing

=> 他有寫作的才華，writing，

eg: He has a talent for music.

=> 他有音樂方面的才華

若是一个人有許多的才華，

我們可以說 He has a wealth of talents

wealth 表示豐富，

a wealth of talents 豐富的才能。

//== More Information ==//

A few musical terms to help us understand Chopin’s music include: Etude: a piece of music made to help students practice a specific skill. Mazurka: a type of Polish dance that is written in triple meter and has a lively tempo. Nocturne: a style of music that is inspired by the night and played for an evening party. Polonaise: a slow dance of Polish origin that is written in triple meter.